Joseph Stieker
Joseph Stieker is a middle aged man of Irish descent. Joseph lived in northern Montana before the outbreak, in the small isolated town of Cramburg. Joseph was a rancher/farmer before the outbreak and is a excellent horse trainer. He uses these skills to help his group to survive the zombie apocalypse. Joseph is 42 years old at the time of the events in Reawakening. Joseph normally wears a brown vest with a green short sleeve shirt underneath, with beige jeans and cowboy boots. He usually wears a white Evilla De Oro cowboy hat. Personality Joseph is semi-serious man, often wanting to get the job done right away rather than prolonging it and never coming back to it. He is very loyal to the ones he cares for the most and attaches himself personally to them, helping them through rough times, talking to them and soothing their pain. He is fun to talk to, having many stories to tell. He is rather laid back, but can be energetic as well for his age. He is sometimes described as a kid in a man's body, but he refuses to admit that, wanting to look the most rough and tough he can be to give out a signal that he wants to be taken very seriously. Despite this, he's shy when it comes to strangers, but it varies, he can get a good conversation going, but he rarely wants to start it. He often tries to reason before engaging in physical conflict, but can get carried away when fighting, often screwing up sentences and saying things he doesn't mean. Joe is not the best in conflict either, usually choking up and becoming very disoriented and not knowing what to do, he clearly has never been in any major fights in his life. Joe loves the outdoors, and his best medicine is horse riding, it helps clear his mind. Joe likes to look for the good in everyone. The younger members seem to get along with Joe much more easily than say, Ajay or Cyrus, and everyone respects him. Appearance Joe is overweight, has long brown hair, has a wide cleft chin and a signature bushy mustache. He wears a beige denim vest, with a green short sleeve shirt, and tan jeans with light brownish-red cowboy boots. He also wears a white Evilla De Oro cowboy hat. Backstory Joseph has had a rich life in the Western portion of Montana. He grew up on a small farm just miles away from the Canadian border, and was raised by his mother, his father died by a Bear during a hunting trip gone awry. His mother taught him all she knew, from tending crops, training horses, fishing and hunting. Joe was lifelong friends with Ajay, going to High School together, but split after graduation, while Ajay went off to Medical school, and Joe stayed to start his work with the farm. A few years down the road, and his mother died of cancer she'd been battling for years. He ran his farm, alone, until he later got married. One day, however his wife was attacked by a young brown bear, while Joe was out trying to locate the animal. It managed to break in, the smell of cooked meat was irresistible, and it felt threatened upon seeing her, mauled her and killed her before Joe was able to even attempt to save her. It was most likely a Bear in his first year alone for the approaching hibernation period, and it was inexperienced and desperate, travelling into human territory for easy food. Joseph eventually shot and killed the Bear, rushed to his mauled wife and mourned her death for years to come, eventually becoming depressed. She was buried out in the prairie near his ranch. Why it didn't go for the horses or cattle was a lingering thought in Joe's mind for years and years, often blaming himself for leaving her unprotected and an easy target for the animal. Knowing it might have been looking for an easy meal, or smelling the cooked food they had made prior to the attack, made Joe never forgive the actions he took.